Against The Odds
by Primae
Summary: Patrick Jane didn't want to fall in love again. And especially not with Teresa Lisbon, the blackmailer he has been chasing down for months. Can they both find happiness ? AU.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Soooo... Another story. I haven't forgotten Insights, but I'm having a hard time finding inspiration. This story was actually a dream at first. This first chapter is frankly not the best, but the following one will be much better ;)**

**It is an AU, and the characters may be a little OOC. And pardon the mistakes, I've tried my best.**

**Disclaimer: Still not mine.**

When it came to Special Agent Patrick Jane, his coworkers usually used three adjectives to describe him: brilliant, broken and enigmatic. The twenty-three-year-old man had become a myth within the CBI. With more closed case to his credit than most of the experienced agents among the Bureau's staff, he was close to accessing to powerful positions within the CBI.

It must be said that he was one of the most hard-working agent. It was common knowledge that if he was working so hard, it was because it was all he had left to do. His wife and his one-year-old daughter were killed in a plane crash due to a terrorist attack when he was twenty years old. Six months later, he had followed a training to become a policeman, and ended up in the CBI, freshly created. Since then, he had been drowning into work, refusing to create any bonds, avoiding the eyes of the women and barely speaking to his coworkers. He usually worked alone, even if he was supposed to work with a team. He had this gift, this knowledge of people, and he could read everyone like an open book, which was why he was a precious asset to the CBI.

The only friend he had was Agent Kimball Cho. It was no wonder, though, for Cho wasn't much talkative either. Cho was in theory his boss; in practice, Jane was his own boss. As long as Jane didn't interfere in the team's business, Cho didn't interfere in Jane's business. It was the deal, and they were both happy with it. Jane sometimes helped the team when they were stuck, but that was all.

It was late when Cho finally decided to leave the building. He wasn't surprised to see Jane sitting at his desk, a cup of tea by his side, and hundreds of sheets spread over the desk.

"Burning the midnight oil, uh? " he said, sitting by Jane's sides.

He didn't answer, which didn't surprise Cho. He observed his friend discreetly: his blonde curls were messed up, and the dark shadows under his eyes made him look like a ghost. And he really needed to shower.

"The Blackmailer?" Cho asked.

"Yup."

The Blackmailer was Jane's new obsession. A young man, taking compromising photos of stars, politicians, diplomats in order to extort money in return for the Blackmailer's silence. If they refused to pay, they got an email. Then another. Then the email was sent to the Medias. And it was impossible to trace its origin. A few politicians had already seen their career destroyed and the CBI was under great pressure, between the influential people asking for a person to blame, and the FBI wanting to take the lead. It was no wonder the case had been placed into the hands of Jane.

"This guy is careful and smart. You'll only catch him if you accept our help." said Cho.

It was just a statement, and both of them knew he was right. Jane sighed, and ran a hair through his silky curls. He took a glimpse at Cho, who was staring at him quietly.

"Fine. But just you guys. I don't want anyone else involved."

Cho didn't say anything, and simply left the room, which might seem rude, but it was fine by Jane. Talking with Cho wasn't helpful. Cho communicated with signs, and with some sort of unspoken language that Jane had learned to decipher over the months.

Jane got back to work, his green-sea eyes skimming through the papers in front of him. His head was pounding, and his eyes were shutting down, but he didn't want to sleep. He didn't want the nightmares to come back. And this only way not to sleep was to work.

The Blackmailer fascinated him. He was smart, efficient, and secretive. Just like him. The more Jane worked on the case files, the more he wanted to arrest him. He hated him with his guts and, in a twisted way, was attracted to him.

It was his case. He allowed Cho to help him, but in the end, he would be the one cuffing the Blackmailer. He knew it.

...

"Reese! I'm hungry!"

The eighteen-year-old girl rolled her eyes.

"I know, Tommy. Just give me time to cook your eggs, okay? Can't you just say still? " she said aggressively, before regretting it when she heard silence behind her.

She turned round, and saw the childish face of her brother covered with tears. She sighed, and knelt down. Teresa looked deep in her brother's eyes, and cupped his face with her hand, wiping the tears away, before kissing his forehead.

"I'm sorry, Tommy. I didn't mean that. I'm the worse sister ever."

She felt his tiny arms encircling her waist, and she hugged him back, kissing his shoulder.

"Where are mum and dad? You said they were coming back. It's been more than a year, Reese." he sobbed.

She felt her heart breaking into a million pieces, and she pulled him closer.

"It's going to be okay. We'll be just fine." she said, feeling the tears streaming down. They remained silent for a while, enjoying each other's company, when a knock at the door made them jump. She reluctantly let him go, and she got up.

"Give me one moment! " she shouted.

She took her brother's meal out of the oven, and served her brother, before hurrying to the door. When she opened, the bruised face of Wayne Rigsby welcomed her.

"Rigs! What happened?" she said, motioning him to get in.

"I got into trouble with kids. Nothing serious, though. On the other hand, I think a police officer saw me taking pictures. And I think he took a picture of me as well. "

"Sheep dip!"

Her mind was racing. She couldn't let the police catch her. Her brothers would have nobody to rely on anymore, and they would have no money.

She had never wanted to go down that path. But she didn't have a choice. When her parents disappeared about eighteen months ago, she was left all by herself to take care of three children. At first, she thought she could manage to earn enough money just by working as a waitress. But, of course, things didn't go as she planned. Between the bills, the food, she was rapidly overwhelmed. And when, one day, she saw a famous politician kissing a prostitute, she saw an opportunity.

She had created herself a network spread all over the city, ready to give her compromising information about famous people. If they obeyed her, it was only because she knew things about them too. Things that could lead them to their death, or even worse, if they went public. Teresa's mother had always told her that knowledge was power, and she was right.

But from the beginning, she knew it was a dangerous path to go down. One day, the whole thing would backfire on her. She just refused to think about it, focusing on her brothers. And it seemed this day had come.

Unless...

"Okay, Wayne, this is what you're going to do. Hide. Keep a low profile, and if you're arrested, well…"

She paused. She hated what she was going to say, but she didn't have a choice. She took a deep breath, and whispered menacingly:

" Don't say anything about me. If you do… Well, let's say there will not be any place for your father to hide."

His eyes widened, and she avoided his pained gaze. She knew Wayne trusted her, and hold her in high esteem, and she knew he'd help her even if she didn't know his pressure point. She hated to betray him like that, but her brothers' sake was more important than anything.

" I see."

His voice was cold and distant. He got up.

" Well, I should get going."

He abruptly left the room, and she sighed, her shoulders shaking as she sat on the sofa, tears streaming down her face. She hated her life.

" I'm sorry, Wayne. I'm so so sorry." she whispered.

...

" Jane ! We got something !"

Everything was blurry as Jane woke up. His muscles ached, and he realized he had been sleeping on his desk. He rubbed his eyes, moaning, and looked at the read-head girl standing in front of him, smiling widely.

" Grace ? What is it? "

"About the Blackmailer. Meyer saw somebody taking pictures of a oil tycoon with a journalist. She took some pictures of him, and tried to chase him down, but he was too fast. Anyway, here's what she got."

Jane got up, fully awake. This couldn't be a coincidence. On the photograph Meyer took was a tall guy, around the age of twenty-five years old, holding a camera. Jane observed him for a long time. He was probably just an accomplice, but he could lead them to the Blackmailer. Jane had never be so close.

"Did you identify him already?" he asked, excitement in his voice.

"Wayne Rigsby, 26 years old. Lives with his father in a small town near Sacramento. I thought you might want to join us to arrest him."

Jane didn't like guns at all. He'd tried, but since his family died, he hated that kind of stuff.

"Go without me, arrest him. I'll question him instead. I save myself for the Blackmailer."

...

Wayne Rigsby was a tough guy. He refused to answer to any of Jane's questions, and just kept smiling insolently. But Patrick didn't mind. He knew that he always won at this game. It was just a matter of time.

"Well, Wayne. I see you've been busy. Stolen cars, streets fights, drugs… You have a hell of a reputation. Why would you work for someone? Obey him?"

"How did you find me? I was…"

"Hiding, I know." Jane interrupted him. "But, really? Hiding with the hobos under the bridge? It was too easy, my boy. "

Frankly, it wasn't. They had a tough time finding him, and they spend days and days questioning his family, his friends. Finally, one of Jane's "friends" among the hobos tipped him about a strange fellow who had joined them a few days back. The rest was a piece of cake.

But Rigsby didn't need to know that.

"I'm not telling you anything. You're wasting your time here." Rigsby warned him.

"Really?"

Jane's voice was menacing now. He had done his researches about Rigsby and had found some interesting things.

"It's delusive to think you can resist me, young man. You remember,when I asked you why you would work for someone ? I already knew why. I was just testing you."

"Yeah ? Tell me, then. Why am I under the orders of somebody?"

Rigsby wanted to look confident, but his voice was unsure.

" He has something on you. He's blackmailing you, like he's blackmailing all the other ones who work for him. But he's not the only one who can play this game. I can."

Rigsby was sweating now. He squeezed his hands, and avoided Jane's gaze.

"_Perfect. Now, the final touch."_

"I'm sure you don't want your father to be arrested for his activity."

Rigsby gasped, and Jane grinned widely.

"Now, this is a dilemma. Either you don't say anything; we arrest your father, who will probably die in prison after the whole story goes public. Or you spill the beans out, now, we offer you protection and we can make a clean sweep of the past. Imagine? You could even get a job here."

Rigsby looked at him, his fists clenched. He was trapped, and he knew it. Finally, he gave up.

"Fine. If I tell you everything, I want you to protect me and my dad."

"It's a deal."

"Her name is Teresa Lisbon. She's living just next door, and…"

"The Blackmailer is a she?" Jane asked, stunned.

" Yeah, of course. She's eighteen, and she's living with her three brothers. She does that to earn money for her brothers, that's all. "

That was a bit disappointing. Jane had pictured himself some kind of a business man, in a nice suit, a true devil. And he had found out she was just an innocent poor kid wanting money.

" And you say that she is the one who blackmailed all those influential politicians and stars ?"

" Yeah. She pays us, and she has a big network, so she has to earn enough money. And like you said, we obey her because she knows things."

Jane got up, his mind racing: he could felt resentment against the young woman in Rigsby's voice. Maybe she wasn't as good-hearted as Rigsby pictured told him.

" Thank you for your time, Wayne. You'll have to sign a statement, and then, we'll see about your protection."

He got out of the room. Cho and Van Pelt were waiting for him, the first one smiling faintly and the second one barely hiding her excitement.

" Well, let's catch ourselves a criminal, shall we ?"

...

Teresa was taking care of her youngest brother when she heard police sirens. Her heart began to pound in her chest. They were coming for her. She didn't how she knew it, but she was sure of it.

She got up, and kissed her brother James on his temple, who began to protest.

"I'm coming back, okay? "she said softly.

The three-year-old boy nodded with innocence and she couldn't help smiling. After stroking one last time his black curls, she rushed upstairs. Before entering her parent's bedroom, she took a deep breath. Since their disappearance, she hadn't dared to enter their room. But she needed too.

The room was just how they left it, exception made for the thin layer of dust on the furniture. She came in, shyly, and headed directly to her father closet. She opened the third drawer, and there it was: her father's Glock. She took it, carefully. It was heavy on her hand, but it seems to fit her small hand perfectly. Now she was ready.

"Drop your weapon !" a masculine voice shouted behind her.

She froze. She was about to turn round to shoot him, but she felt his hand grasping her arm and twisting it. She dropped the weapon as the pain radiated in her arm, and he immediately cuffed her.

"_You have the right to remain silent_**.** Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you at government expense."

He paused, and even if she couldn't see his face, she could sense a triumphal smile.

" Finally. I've got you."

...

A/N: So. I know this is happening fast, but this is not the most interesting part of the story. I don't want you to get bored. In the next chapter, Patrick will be questioning Teresa, and things will not go as he planned, uhuh.

Anyway, make sure to drop a review, that would be awesome !

Thanks for reading this story ;)


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'd never thought I'd have such nice reviews, so yay ! Here's the next chapter, hope you'll like it, and as usual: sorry for the mistakes, unfortunately English ain't my native language. **

"So, what do you think of our criminal?" asked Cho the following morning, handing Jane a cup of tea.

They had brought the girl to the police station the previous night and had left her there all night long, just to make sure she wouldn't be in a good mood and willing to speak. Jane had gone home, if the small Airstream he owned could be called a home, and for the first night in months, had slept without any nightmares disturbing him.

"I don't know, I haven't spoken to her yet. Looking forward to, though." Jane answered with a huge grin.

"She doesn't seem as tired as we expected her to be. I guess she used to not getting much sleep. She's not going to be as talkative as they usually are. " Van Pelt interrupted them.

"It doesn't matter. I'll make her confess, no worries about that."

"I'm sure you will." Cho said ironically in a muffled voice.

He chuckled and patted Cho's shoulder.

"Have faith, Cho."

Cho would have probably grinned if he wasn't the Iceman.

"Go ahead; show us how extraordinary you are. She's waiting for you".

He was dazzled by the electric light as he entered the room. As his eyes adapted themselves to the bright light, she spoke.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

A bitter irony was clearly present in her voice. He stared at her for a long time. The previous day, he hadn't had the chance to look at her properly. Surprisingly,  
she was… beautiful. Black curls framed her angel face, and her emerald eyes made butterflies danced in his stomach. For a fraction of second, he was stunned by how gorgeous she was. But his face recovered instantly even if he still felt a little dizzy. He hadn't felt that since… since Angela, to be honest.

"It's not very polite not to answer questions." She interrupted his thoughts.

He cleared his throat, and sat in front of her. He stared at her for a while, and she held his gaze, defying his authority. Finally, he was the one to lower his eyes, for hers were really disturbing him.

"So… Blackmailing, uh? Must be profitable. "

"I'm not talking to you." She answered with mistrust.

He chuckled, but his laugh was humorless.

"I don't think you completely understand the situation here. If you cooperate, we might be kind enough to place your brother together in a nice family. If not… Well, you know how it works. They will probably be separated, and I believe you want the best for your brothers?"

She didn't answer right away, and when he lifted up his head, he could see tears making her eyes sparkle.

"I guess I'm not the only one who can use blackmail." She whispered, her voice choked with emotion.

" Yeah… Policemen often take advantage of their position. If we were really closely supervised, there will not be a single police officer left in this world."

He had attempted to make her smile, and it worked: she slightly and shyly grinned. He giggled, and so did she, but her laugh was way sadder than his. Finally, with a sigh, she dried her tears with her sleeve, and cleared her throat.

"You don't understand. I… I had no choice. They were going to tear us apart, and they are the only thing I had left. I couldn't leave them. So… I had no choice but to start this business. It paid the bills, and the food, and I manage to get my brothers to go to nice schools. "

"I'm not sure I would have been selfless enough to do that. That was brave of you. A bit foolish too, but brave anyway."He said softly.

"Yeah, right." she said with a humorless laugh. "Look where this brought me. I betrayed my friends and now I can't even take care of my brothers. Does that make me brave or good-hearted? I don't think so."

He sighed, and observed her face ravaged with tears. She was only eighteen, but she seemed to carry the weight of the world, and she had the eyes of someone who suddenly grew up too fast. He pondered over the fact he might look just like her from the perspective of his coworkers. That thought was kind of depressing, and he suddenly felt closer to her that he had ever felt to somebody. He felt the strange urge to stroke her hair and to hug her. That was what he did to Angela when she was sad. Instead, he took one of her hand resting on the table, and clutched it.

"I want to help you, Teresa. Believe me or not, but I don't think you deserve to go to jail. But the law is the law, you know that. What I can do is to try to lighten the charges against you. "

She withdrew her hand, and he found out he missed the warmth of her skin.

"Why would you do that? I'm just a criminal. I deserve a punishment for my mistakes."

He sighed, and ran a hair through his blonde curls. She was right: why would he do that ? He was supposed to follow the rules, not to help criminals. He couldn't let the turmoil she was causing him disturb him. And yet he knew he was going to help her.

He got up.

"Frankly, I don't know why I'm saying that. Believe me; I'm usually not soft with criminals. But you're… different. So I'm asking you to cooperate. Tell me everything, and I'll try my best to help you."

Her eyes widened, and she stared at him with a lovely little frown. He smiled sadly at her, and without adding anything else, left the room. His head was pounding and he felt a little dizzy. Since when had it become so emotional? He must be sick. Yes, that was the explanation.

"Agent Jane!" shouted a voice behind him.

He turned around to see his boss, Agent Hightower, smiling widely at him.

" So. I've heard the news. Big news, uh? Nicely done, Jane. The medias are overexcited about this, and we have received congratulations from many politicians."

He really wasn't in a mood for that kind of talking, so he interrupted her aggressively.

"What is your point here?"

She sighed and lowered her voice.

"The thing is… I know she's just a girl, and she was doing that for honorable reasons, but… We can't let that happen again. We have to make sure she'll be an example."

"Let me get that straight. You want me to sentence her to be over-punished? "

"Well, the thing is… She blackmailed influential people, and now they want her to be chastised. And they have the power to take the CBI down if we don't obey them. On the other hand, if you help them… Well, you could access to the highest positions in the CBI easily. You are holding the cards here, Jane. Now you need to find out how you want to play them."

He froze. This wasn't what he had planned. His hands were tied: he had literally no flexibility here. He really wanted to help the girl (he didn't even know why) but he couldn't compete with the persons who ran the country.

Why did he even want to help her? He hadn't even known her for a day, and she was supposed to be his nemesis, for God's sake! His brain was obviously thinking he was some kind of prince charming. And on top of that, the idea of betraying Teresa felt strangely unbearable. His brain tried to told him something, to explain him why this was happening to him but he pushed the feeling away. His brain was wrong. He hadn't moved on. This couldn't happen. His heart had broken a long time ago, and nobody could fix. And certainly not a poor kid like Teresa Lisbon.

"Jane? Are you okay?"

He realized he had been lost in his thoughts and gazing at space for a few minutes and that Hightower was staring at him with concern. He made his best grin, and faked joy:

" Yeah, sure, whatever they want. Who am I to stand against politicians? Not that I want to, though. Soon I'll be your boss, for sure."

That wasn't the best thing to say, he knew it, but his brain seemed to have completely lost the control on the situation.

"Are you sure you're okay, Patrick? "

The fact she used his first name proved that she was worried about him. Truly worried. Was he looking so bad?

" Yeah. I think I caught a cold. Nothing serious though . I'm just a bit disorientated. "

"If it gets worse, don't be afraid to ask for a day off, okay?" She asked, concerned.

"Nah. Like I said, it's just a cold."

He suddenly felt the urge to leave her standing. He was acting weird, plus he was positively sick with his work. He realized what he had said to Teresa earlier couldn't have been truer: justice was really just a game of power. Corruption and intimidation were common, and he suddenly felt anger against the people working with him, for they supported mindlessly this system. He realized he had been supporting this too, and he felt sick. And yet, this kind of politician pressure had never disturbed him before. This Teresa Lisbon definitely had an effect on him.

Nevertheless, instead of leaving her standing, he politely excused himself and headed toward his team.

"So?" Van Pelt asked expectantly.

"What?"

He had been a little more aggressive then he wanted too, and Grace was clearly taken aback. He sighed and rubbed his forehead tiredly.

"Sorry about that, Grace. Uh… Well, she's the Blackmailer, she confessed. That's not a big surprise, though."

He paused, and saw that all of them were clearly waiting for other information.

"And nothing else?" Cho inquired.

"Nope."

They stared at him in disbelief. Grace was wondering how he could have gotten so less information and Cho was clearly asking himself why he was retaining what he had learned. He excused himself with a slightly saddening smile and retired to his attic while an idea was slowly popping into his head.

…

Even Teresa's body, used to sleepless nights, needed rest. Her heart seemed to beat a bit slower and she couldn't think straight. Even though adrenalin was still flowing through her veins, she felt the reality slowly catching up with her. The horror of her situation hit her, and she struggled not to burst into tears, not very successfully. She buried her head into her arms in order to hide the tears burning her eyes.

Suddenly, she heard the door creaking. When she looked up, a tall Asian man was examining her. His cold dark eyes seemed to read her like an open book and she couldn't suppress a shudder.

"I'm Agent Cho. I believe you have already spoken to my colleague, Patrick Jane. I'm here to get more information."

"You're the tough one around here. Bringing out the heavy artillery, uh?"

He ignored her, while she exhibited a huge victorious grin.

"Who are you working for?" he suddenly asked.

"For my brothers." She replied immediately.

He stared at her for a long time, silently, his face showing no emotions at all. She said to herself that he was probably a hell of a poker player. Over the months, she had learned how to read people's face and emotions. And there were only two persons she had failed to decipher: Cho and Patrick Jane. She was definitely having a bad day.

Regarding Patrick Jane, she had been a bit disturbed by how handsome the man was. She knew it was some kind of trick used by the police to make her feel uneasiness, and well, she had to face it: it had worked. The more she thought about it, she more she wanted to slap herself. Why had she told so much? He may have seemed caring, but she knew it was just a façade. How had she been stupid enough to confess everything? But he seemed so honest...

The door opened again, and a blonde head poked around the door.

"Cho? Do you mind if I take over?"

The Asian man clearly minded, but he answered:

"Sure."

After his colleague left, Jane sat in front of her, and she noticed that he avoided her gaze, as if he was ashamed of something. She couldn't really tell why, though.

"You'll be put in a detention cell within the CBI. We can't afford to imprison you in a regular jail; you'll be way too exposed. Corruption is common in those places, and one of your victims could be tempted to shut you up forever."

She simply nodded. In fact, she didn't really care about any of those things. It seemed she was doomed to die in the near future: she played with fire, and she had got burned.

He took one of her hands again, and this time, she didn't withdraw it: she could feel a small piece of paper folded in his warm fist. She stared at him, a question in her gaze, but he simply returned her stare mischievously.

When he finally removed his hand, she felt suddenly a bit cold, and missed the warmth he provided her.

"Any questions?"

_Yeah, actually. Why are you doing that? Acting nice? Holding my hand? And why are you so damn hot? _

Instead, she politely shook negatively her head.

"Well, I guess I should get going, then."

"What about my brothers? "she suddenly asked.

" I thought you had no questions." He observed naughtily.

"Well, I've got one now. Now, come on, tell me. What about them?"

She was the first surprised at her friendly tone, but he didn't say anything about it – maybe it was just her mind playing tricks on her, but she had the feeling he had shortly grinned . He shrugged.

"It's too early to say. I'll make sure they're properly treated. I promise you. Now, I have to get going, but I'll let you know if they are okay. Soon. "

His tone was comforting, and she was feeling slightly better. She still didn't know why he was acting so nice, but she had the feeling he wanted to become a friend. He wasn't her enemy, that was for sure. No one could fake kindness like that. Plus he had this aura… Like he actually understood what her feelings were.

When he finally left the room , she quickly glanced at his message:

_Tonight in your cell. _

She pretended to cough, and quickly swallowed the small piece of paper. Her head was full of questions, and she felt like she could burst with curiosity.

She only hoped he had answers to those questions.

**A/N: End of the chapter! In the next chapter: the secret meeting. Looking forward too, uh ? Well, let me guarantee you that neither of them is aware of what is about to happen. For those who might be wondering where the hell is Red John, be patient. RJ will have a part in all of that, yay !**

**I know the message may have seemed a bit unrealistic, but let's say nobody saw her, uh?**

**Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter, please make sure to review it, it means the world to me ! **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Ooops. Sorry for the delay but my life was like hell lately. I finished school at 6 p.m. every day for the past few weeks, with a mountain of homework, so I had not time for my story. But yay! Spring break for two weeks, so I hope I will update this story more often. Anyway, I apologize for any mistakes you may find, and most of all, I hope you'll like this chapter. **

The room was dim and small: a faint smell of blood caused her to shudder. A simple mattress has been put on the floor, and a grimy sink leaked in a sinister way. She made her way to the mattress and sat on it. Her day had been overwhelming and she felt positively exhausted.

She kicked off her shoes and lied up in her bed. She quickly found out there was no way for her to sleep. She needed to think of a way to escape, and quickly. Mr. Jane seemed quite nice, but he was a policeman: he would never help her to run away. So she was on her own. But then again she was used to it.

He had said that he'd meet up with her on the evening. She was tempted to use that rendezvous to flee, but she knew she wouldn't go very far, even if she managed to knock him out. Plus he was strong, and she was very petite. So that wasn't an option. And she still didn't entirely know if he was sincere, so she didn't want to blow away her only chance to get a friend within the police. A friend… She could manage to pretend to be his friend for a while, and earn his trust. But yet she had the feeling it was going to be hard to stop her heart from racing every time she saw his amazing blue eyes, and that she may not have to _pretend_ to be his friend.

Two hours later, when a grumpy but yet very polite agent came to bring her a meal, she still didn't know how she was going to escape. Her best plan so far was to wait and see. And she wasn't completely happy with it.

"Agent Jane!"

He had been working on the paperwork for hours when he heard a voice calling him, so he was only too pleased to get distracted from this boring work. His smile dimmed a little when he saw a nice suited man walking towards him.

He was wearing a necklace in solid gold, and his wrist was proudly exhibiting a Rolex. He was definitely the kind of man who had had success in life and who wanted to show off. His head was gleaming with hair styling gel and he displayed an arrogant smile which caused Jane the desire to punch him in the face. Instead, Jane got up, and shook the man's sweating hand with a fake smile.

"Tommy Volker, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Volker. I believe I have already heard your name somewhere. Super successful businessman, I suppose?"

"Yes. Actually, I'm not here for-"

"You're here for the Blackmailer case, uh ?"

Jane wasn't feeling in the mood to tergiversate. He motioned for Volker to take a seat, and sat in front of him, frowning as he was starting to have a bad impression about the man.

" Yes. Listen, uh… I don't want my name to be associated with… Some dirty cases you may have heard about. I'm not saying I have anything to do with it; all I'm saying is that you may hear compromising things about me. All I want is-"

"But if you have a clear conscience, I'm sure it will be easy for us to prove your innocence." retorted Jane with a wicked grin.

Instantly, Volker's fake smile faded away. His fists clenched a bit, and he put his hands on his lap, the tension clearly visible in his attitude.

_And now the fun begins, _thought Jane with a smirk.

"What you don't understand about me, Mr. Jane, is that I could ruin your career with one phone call. So I strongly advise you not to play this game with me." threatened Volker with a low voice.

"What you don't understand about me, _Tommy_, is that I could ruin _your _career with only one discussion with this girl." whispered Jane back. "And believe me, I'm looking forward to hear what she has to say."

Volker was clearly taken aback. He was not used to being contradicted like that, and Jane wished he had a camera to capture his arrogant face drawing a stupid grimace. Jane grinned and rested on the back of his chair.

"I presume that was all you wanted to tell me, Mr. Volker?" calmly asked Jane.

"You'd better watch her very closely, Mr. Jane. It would be a shame if she suddenly disappeared." He whispered in a threatening way.

"Don't you worry about that. Do your job, and let me do mine."

With one last glare, Volker got up and took one last arrogant glimpse of Jane.

"You just made a big mistake, Mr. Jane. There will be no place safe on Earth for this girl, and you can be sure that I'll make you pay too."

With those words, he left the place, walking like he owned the Bureau. Jane was not scared of him, but he sensed that the man was ready to use any ways to assure his protection, which meant nothing good.

_Phew. This one was stubborn. Better keep an eye on him._

He checked his surroundings. Cho was working late, as usual. The Asian man didn't have a family to look after, like Jane, and they both had only their works to entertain themselves. Which probably also explained why the two men got along so well. Apart from Cho, everybody had gone home: it was already 8PM. Jane sighed, and closed the case file in front of him. It was time for him to visit Teresa. Cho would notice it if he disappeared like that, and he knew the Asian man would never believe him if he told him that he was leaving the office earlier today.

He had to find a way to distract Cho, that much was clear. As much as he trusted the Asian man, he knew that Cho would highly disapprove his doings. He had already asked a friend, Todd, to neutralize the video surveillance system for him. Since Todd wasn't exactly on the right side of the law, and owned him big times (saving one's life was always useful), he had gladly accepted to keep his mouth shut, and to do his job.

Finally, he decided to pretend to go fetch some files in the archive room, even though he could sense Cho's skeptical glance while he was waiting for the elevator. He only hoped the man would trust him enough to let him do what he had to do.

When he entered the cell, she was waiting for him, seated on the mattress, her green eyes full with hope as she greeted him. She seemed relaxed, even though he could sense she had cried, which made him strangely a bit cheerless. He sat awkwardly next to her and coughed, hoping that she would speak and try to relax the atmosphere.

Which she didn't.

Eventually, he sighed, and with a wicked grin, tried to a joke in order to make her smile:

"Normally I choose more comfortable places for my secret meetings with ladies, but hey, one cannot always have the pretty woman and the pretty room at the same time. "

She blushed furiously, even though he could see the shadow of a smile on her face, which made him grin even wider.

"Now, come on, aren't you going to look at me? Am I so atrocious that you have to look away? "

She giggled a little and turned her head toward him. His mouth went dry when he looked in those deep and honest green eyes. He let his eyes wander around her perfect lips, her white cheeks with those adorable freckles, and even took a glimpse at her faultless cleavage. He felt his heartbeat fasten as he realized he longed to take her in his arms and kiss her. What was wrong with him? She was his prisoner, and he had just met her.

She shifted away from him a bit, embarrassed by the intensity of his stare. He cleared his throat, a bit uncomfortable too.

"Tommy Volker. What can you tell me about him?"

She was taken aback by the question. She chewed her lips, in a way Jane found adorable, and finally spoke in a low voice.

"I've been investigating on him two years ago. I had a friend, Sarah, who worked for him, and one day, she told me she had been to the police to testify against him. The next morning, she was found in an alley, raped and gutted. The police tried to prove it was Volker, and they never succeeded. So I decide to investigate on my own, just to honor Sarah's memory. During a year, I found things about him. Dirty businesses – he owns a few brothels-, and political corruption, mostly. I discovered about a bunch of murders too, but I never had a proof. I never actually blackmailed him; I was just trying to make him fall. So, one day, I tipped the police about him, and they almost arrest me. So I stopped. And I think that if he could me right now, he would. It's a wonder I'm not dead by now. "

"Wow." He was truly amazed. Teresa was definitely resourceful and fiery, and he suddenly thought she would be a hell of a cop.

"You could have been one of the most incredible cops around here, you know."

Her face darkened.

"I wanted to. It was my dream, and I almost managed to enter the Police Academy, but you know- "

"Yes. I understand." He whispered, understanding that she didn't want to speak about it.

He grabbed her hand, and this time, she didn't pull back and instead squeezed it, providing him nice warmth. Suddenly, without even thinking about it, he wrapped his hand around one of her curls and approached his head so close that he could sense her short breath on his lips. She smelled like cinnamon and vanilla, and his eyes seemed locked on hers. When he finally bent down his head, she began to spoke:

"Mr. Jane. I don't think this is a good-"

She was shut up by his lips joining hers. At first, she remained frozen, and after a few seconds, Jane pulled back, dreaded by the fact that she didn't reciprocate the kiss. She didn't want that. He had completely misjudged the situation. He began to frantically apologize:

"I'm sorry, I don't know what-"

This time it was Teresa who shut him up. His lips immediately parted, and after a few seconds he deepened the kiss. She tasted incredible: coffee and strawberries, along with a salty after taste from her tears. He wrapped his arms around her, bringing her impossibly closer, and when she started moaning, he lost control and devoured her mouth passionately and desperately. Her hands were buried in his curls and this time it was his turn to moan.

When they finally parted, panting, both flushed with passion, he finally realized what he'd done, but curiously, he wasn't sorry. All he wanted was to kiss her again, but he realized she was now avoiding his gaze, and he could see tears in her eyes. _She_ was sorry, and the realization felt like a pang in his heart.

So he quickly got up, and left the room, finding it hard not to look back when he heard her calling him.

An hour had gone by, and Jane was still seated at his desk, reliving over and over this quick meeting with Teresa. He had kissed her. He had kissed her, for God's sake! But that wasn't the worse part of it. He had enjoyed every second of it, had enjoyed the way she opened her mouth for him, and had enjoyed how her breasts felt on his chest. This was wrong. He couldn't fall for a girl and especially not for a girl doomed to spend the rest of her life in a small cell.

_Except if I can stop that. Except if I find a way to get her out of jail. _

He pushed the thought away. He was an officer of the law, and he couldn't throw his career over a girl he had met two days ago. Plus his heart still belonged to Angela. He had sworn that he'll never find love again. So, in the end, it was for the best that this girl was bound to spend the rest of her life in prison. He desperately tried to convince himself of that.

Eventually, it was Cho who provided him this occasion to distract himself from all his feelings. He knocked at Jane's door, and entered his office, seeming rather excited- as much as Cho could look excited, of course.

"Hey Jane, I thought you might be interested in this. Remember McAllister, the guy who took the lead for the investigation regarding the plane crash?"

Jane felt his heart racing. When he has joined the CBI, it was with the secret hope to discover the truth around his family's death. The details had never been really clarified: all the civilians knew was that the plane had been hijacked and had crashed near Malibu. Apart from that, no details had been delivered to the public and years after, nobody knew who was behind that attack, nor why it had happened. That was why Jane and Cho had been secretly investigating since then. They both had the intuition that there was more behind that the authorities were reluctant to share. Their doubts had recently started to bear on the team investigating on the plane crash.

"Yeah, sure. Why?"

"Turns out one of his closest subordinate, a guy named Timothy Carter, disappeared a while ago. Apparently, he got lost in a forest during a hike. No one ever found the body, yet the case is closed."

"So ? "

"This guy was supposed to have an interview regarding the plane crash the day after. Moreover, I also discovered an old deposition of another subordinate certifying that Timothy Carter and McAllister had a violent argument the day before. Curiously, no one asked questions, McAllister walked free after police custody, and three days later, the other guy committed suicide. "

Jane was taken aback. This discovery implied a lot more than a personal revenge. It implied corruption on a national scale, and possibly a powerful association behind all of that. Jane wanted revenge, he wanted to shoot the man who did that – even though he knew that it wouldn't be that simple. But suddenly he sensed that this was way too huge for one man alone.

"Who questioned McAllister during the police custody?"

"I don't know, this is not mentioned in the files. Another strange fact and no one ever asked questions about it. "

Well, Jane had wanted something to distract him from the souvenir of Teresa's lips, and this was quite a huge distraction. Jane was aware of the dangerousness of continuing their secret investigations like that, but he sensed that they were very close to uncover something huge.

"Cho, I'm not asking you to continue on this path with me if you don't want to. You must be aware that this is becoming extremely hazardous for us if we go on like that. I'm not quitting, not when I'm so close. You know I'm ready to do anything to get to the son of a bitch who did that, but I'll understand if you decide to step away. I will."

"Okay. I'm not quitting either. " said Cho quietly.

Jane grinned widely, and he could even sense a shadow of a smile on his partner's face.

"I was hoping you'd say that."

They shook hands, and even though it may have looked rather stiff, Jane knew this was a true sign of friendship coming from Cho.

"How did it go with the girl?" asked Cho after Jane released his hand.

"I don't want what you're talking about, my friend. You know that I don't really date anymore." Jane said casually, hoping to fool his friend.

"I'm not buying it, Jane. I know what you've been up to. Frankly, I don't care about it, as long as you don't do anything stupid. The law is the law, and I trust you not to get blinded by your feelings. But let me get this clear, Jane: if you screw up, I won't be your friend, I'll be an officer of the law. Is it clear? "

Jane nodded solemnly.

" No need to worry, Cho. "

And he wished he'd said that with all his heart.

**A/N: Oh yeah. This is becoming interesting, isn't it? For those you may think this is a bit rushed, well, I had that kind of feeling with a guy once. Like the first time I spoke to him, I was already so smitten with him. We kissed like a week after our first meeting. I like to believe this can happen here too, so… Anyway, at first, I wasn't planning to do all this stuff around the plane crash, but I thought, why not? Since I'm a big fan of Mayday, you know, the TV show about plane crashes, I couldn't resist. So… You can see the angst coming, uh? Volker, McAllister, and the CBI which is probably as corrupted as the one we know. Without even mentioning the unresolved Jisbon issues, but don't worry, next chapter will certainly bring some answers, and some action. I didn't mention it yet, but there will be M-rated chapters ( I'll warn, no worries) so… ;) **


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